Combined hay, grain, and stock rack.



J. L. CLAUDIN.

COMBINED HAY, GRAIN, AND STOCK RACK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I. I914.

. Patent-ed Apr. 18,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTYS.

rm: cnummm PLANOGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, D. c

J.L.CLAUDiN COM BINED HAY, GRAIN, AND- STOCK RACK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1, 1914.

1,179,402. Patented Apr. 18,1916.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wnNEssEs INVENTOR 1 ATTYS.

THE COLUMBIA PLMjOGRAPH 50., WASHINGTON, n. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT QFFTQE,

JOHN L. CLAUDIN', PE RIA, I LINOIS, ASSIGNQRTO. rr rrrrr Henna an]: M.

MANN, Bo'rH or PEORIA, ILLINOIS, oor aa'rnnas DOING BUSINESS AS ECONOMY RACK 00.

COMBINED HAY, GRAIN, AND STOCK RACK.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application filed April 1, 1914. Serial No. 828,777.

To all whom it may-concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. CLAUDIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Hay, Grain, and Stock Rack, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to improvements in wagon bodies and is particularly directed to the provision of a wagon body which may be converted into racks of various kinds, as for instance, hay, basket and stock racks.

The invention includes a body portion havingsuitable supporting brackets attached thereto, suitable supporting arms pivoted to said supporting brackets and having bearing or bracket members connected thereto, to engage said supporting brackets and support said supporting arms in a horizontal position, side frames pivotally connected to the ends of said supporting arms and adapted to be folded down on said supporting arms to form a flat rack, or positioned at an angle to said supporting arms to form a basket rack, said side frames and said supporting arms being adapted to be pivoted on said supporting brackets and extend in a vertical direction therefrom to provide a stock rack.

Another object of the invention is the improvement in various details of the structure, whereby a simple, eflicient, strong and durable structure is provided, whereby the conversion from one form into another may be made with ready facility.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and then sought to be defined in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and which shows merely for the purpose of illustrative disclosure, a preferred embodiment of my invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in practice within the scope of the claim, without digressing from my inventive idea.

In the drawing :Figure 1 represents a plan .view of my invention, being adjusted to form a basket rack; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, adjusted as shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the device, adjusted to form a flat rack; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the device, adjusted to form a stock rack; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of part of the device.

This invention relates in general to the type of device, illustrated in my prior patent No. 989,118, issued April 11, 1911, being directed to the improvements of various details, whereby the device is strengthened and made more practical.

In'the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the body portion of the wagon or rack, which includes the side parts 2, the end and intermediate sills' 3 and bottom flooring 4. Mounted on the side pieces 2 at corresponding intervals, are the supporting bracket members 5, which are positioned above the end and intermediate sills 3 and are attached thereto by means of the bolts 6, as shown, this being merely a preferred form of fastening means. These supporting bracket members 5 have the upwardly extending ears 7 which are apertured as at S to receive the pivot 9 of the supporting arms or members 10. These supporting arms or members 10 are in the form of angle iron, having the vertical side edge depending, and having a bearing or brace member 11 secured to the inner side of the upper horizontal portion thereof. This bearing or brace member 1]. is. made of channel iron in the form of an irregular loop, having a depending portion 12 terminating in the bearing portion 13, from which it extends at an angle to form the bracing portion 14, as shown. This bearing portion 13 is adapted to engage the outer bolt or securing member 6, as shown, to prevent wear on the sides of the wagon body, the engagement providing means for bracing the supporting arms or members 10.

It is to be noted that the ends of the end supporting arms or members 10 extend inwardly beyond the lines of the sides 2 of the body of the wagon to form stops or abutments 15 for the ladder or end-gates, as will be described later. To the ends of these supporting arms or members 10 are pivotally connected the side frames 16, which are formed of the longitudinal bars or members 17, connected by the transverse or cross bars or pieces 18, which latter are in the form of angle irons having their vertic l portions. adjoining, and pivoted to the held by means of the detachable hooks 20 extensions 25.

pivoted to the ladder or end-gate, and engaged in the eye 21. A suitable brace 22 is also provided between the supporting arm or member 10 on the end, and the bottom longitudinal bar 17 ofthe side frames, the connection as at 23 being pivotal, to permit said side frames to be folded down on said supporting arms or members. It is to be noted that when folded, the transverse or cross pieces are in juxtaposition to the supporting arms or members 10, in this position forming the flat rack.

Attention is now directed to the ladders 24, at each end, which are pivotally mounted in the wagon body and have the folding To the front ladder are connected the hooks 20 which have been previously described. One of the cross bars 26 of these ladders is adapted to bear against the extended portions 15 of the end supporting arms or members so as to limit the outward movement of the said ladders when the rack is in the form of a flat rack or a basket rack.

The side frames and the supporting ears or members 10 may be turned on the pivot 9 to the position illustrated in Fig. 4, to form the stock rack, the ladders having suitable eyes 27 to receive a suitable fastening means 28, such as an end-gate bolt, which passes through apertures in the upper one of the longitudinal members 17 of the side frames. The pivotal bolt 29 for the rear ladder may be withdrawn so that the ladder, which new forms the end-gate, may

pivot on the upper bolt 28 so as to permit the entrance of animals into the rack.

It is obvious from this description, taken in connection with the drawings, that I have provided a structure which may be readily converted into any of the three types of racks mentioned and which in addition, provides a strong and durable rack of any of the types mentioned; the adjustments may be made with facility, and by any one, without the necessity of the utilization of expensive tools or equipment.

l/Vhat I claim:

In a device of the character described and in combination, a wagon body, bracket members secured thereto having upstanding portions, bolts securing said bracket members to the wagon body, supporting arms or members pivotally connected to said bracket standing portion of said bracket members, being in the form. of angle iron and the vertical flange thereof engaging the upstanding portion of said bracket members, bracing or bearing members secured to the horizontal flange of said supporting arms or members, said bracing or bearing members being formed of channel iron and having a portion bent out to provide a bearing portion adapted to engage the side of the body and embracing one of said bolts when said supporting arms or members are in their horizontal position, side frames including longitudinal members and transverse members, said transverse members being formed of angle iron and pivoted to the outer ends of said supporting arms or members, the vertical flanges of said angle iron tranverse members being placed adjacent the vertical member of said angle iron supporting arms or members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. OLAUDIN. lVitnesses .I. M. ANDERSON, GEORGE T. BEAN.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

